


Courage

by sugarmoons



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Drinking, Drunken Confessions, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, Party, Room of Requirement, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:47:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26062924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugarmoons/pseuds/sugarmoons
Summary: Harry has been pining after Draco for a while and takes a party in the room of requirement as his best chance to get his feelings across.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter
Comments: 3
Kudos: 113





	Courage

For a Gryffindor Harry was having a hard time plucking up any courage. Especially enough to ask out Draco Malfoy. The prick he’d thought he’d hated from day one. Key word there was ‘thought’ because after a week’s worth of contemplation in a single night Harry realised how much he suppressed his attraction to guys. Well, a guy.

It was the perfect night for confession to. A seventh year from Huffllepuff had set up a party in the room of requirement and the entire place was buzzing with students in the later years, cups full of muggle alcohol and fire whiskey. Everyone in Harry’s year was there and he recognised most people bar a few odd faces. 

Draco was there. Against the wall with Pansy and Blaise, an entire bottle of vodka in his hand which he periodically drank from and then screwed up his face. If Draco wanted to do anything that night it was to get drunk. Which considering his usual above-all composed attitude it seemed off. Maybe it would be easier to confess to a drunk Draco, at least then if it went wrong he could forget some of it by the time they went to potion class on Monday.

Still lost in ideas of professing undying love and what the exact colour Draco’s eyes were, Harry didn’t notice when Ron came up to him, Hermione trailing behind. For a prize pupil she was trying really hard to let go for the night and get rid of her uptight image.

“You know, even though I think he’s an arse, watching you pine is worse than the thought of you dating him. For Merlin’s sake, Harry, you’re bordering pathetic,” Ron said, playfully punching Harry’s shoulder for encouragement.

Harry held his tongue about how Ron and Hermione were way past the line of pathetic at this point. The pair both too stubborn for their own good.

“He’ll just reject me and I’ll drink so much you’ll have to deal with me because nobody chooses to look after a drunken chosen one.”

“Or,” Hermione started, “He’ll agree to go out with you and you might hit it off. If he says no you’re dodging a bullet.”

If anything Harry wanted to be hit with that bullet. Straight in the chest.

“I can’t do anything anyways, Blaise and Pansy might murder me with glares.” He knew he was grasping for excuses now. Excuses that weren’t there because he was being handed every chance he could ever hope for.

Ron took Harry’s cup from his hand and gently pushed him in Draco’s general direction, “Go ask him. If it goes badly Hermione will give you her charms essay to copy.”

“No I won’t.” Ron gave her a look, “Fine. You can get the first couple of paragraphs but I’m not getting pulled over by Flitwick again.”

Harry pulled at his sleeves, “You know what, I actually need to work on my charms. I should really do that essay myself.”

Ron almost shoved him this time, “Go. You have an opportunity and incentive if it goes to shit.”

“Fine.” Harry agreed with a huff and he began the torturous journey across the room. 

It would have been better if Harry was in a film. Then at least he would be walking in slow motion and would have time to figure out what he was going to say. At least when he fought the basilisk certain death would’ve looked heroic. Death by embarrassment came with further humiliation than the situation that caused the embarrassment in the first place. 

He still continued forward. Saying polite sorries as he made his way through hordes of his classmates. He wondered how the room got rid of the mess once they had all left or if some students took it upon themselves to clean up. He doubted anyone did the latter with the amount of homework they’d been set recently.

Then he was only a few metres away and not ready at all. No sentence or word or syllable came to mind. Draco had to like absolute fools because otherwise Harry was doomed. He inhaled a massive gulp of air and just went for it.

“Oi, Malfoy!”

Draco’s head lifted up and took a second to notice that it was Harry who had called him. Through the blur of the alcohol he took longer than Harry could take to respond.

“What do you want, Potter?” For someone that was clearly under the influence Draco spoke remarkably well. 

“I, um, I was just wondering, well, actually could we speak alone?”

Draco nodded and kept a firm grip on the bottle in his hand which Pansy had tried to pry from him. She mouthed a quick, “Don’t be a dick.” to Harry before letting Draco go over to him.

Out of the two of them Harry thought Draco was more likely to be a dick. However he didn’t argue. Instead he wondered if Draco was in a good enough place to be dealing with his feelings. He didn’t want to take advantage or make whatever was wrong worse.

Draco walked beside him as they looked for a quieter spot. The room seemed to understand and a small door appeared near Harry which led into an odd mix of the Gryffindor and Slytherin common rooms. The room sliced in two, so that one side raged in red and the other basked in green. Without hesitation Draco waltzed in, grasping Harry’s wrist and pulling him in with him.

The door shut behind them. Respecting their privacy. And once again Harry was lost with no idea what to do. Draco, ironically enough, was more ready to talk than he was. The buzz of alcohol beneath his veins gave him more courage than Harry thought he could muster.

“We should do something,” Draco declared. He had plonked down on one of the sofas, his head tilted back so he was staring at the ceiling as if deep in thought.

“Like what?” Harry moved to sit down next to him, leaving a respectful distance between them.

Draco pondered for a moment, “Like a date, or you could kiss me. Both are pretty good options.”

Heat rose to Harry’s face. Clearly he could do with what Draco had had. That or a pint of felix felicis. 

Unsure on how to react all Harry said was,”What?”

Frustrated Draco sat up and forced Harry to face him by grabbing either side of his face with both of his hands.

“You and I should go on a date. A proper one at Hogsmeade or something.” Noticing the dazed look on Harry’s face he then added, “Or if you don’t want that you could kiss me. Right now. Obviously.”

The idea made Harry’s head burst with joy. But a question still lingered, would Draco even remember asking him in the first place? Or would they see each other on Monday and have to deal with the awkwardness that sprung up when you noticeably snuck off with someone at one of the biggest parties of the year.

“You do know what you’re saying?” Harry asked, though he doubted Draco could really determine that himself.

Draco shuffled closer to Harry and moved his face towards Harry’s ear, “I’m not as drunk as you think I am, Potter.”

Goosebumps rose on Harry’s skin. The tickle of Draco’s breath on his ear had sent shivers down his spine. He was teetering the line between life and hell and he was ready to sink into the fire.

“You were drinking straight vodka. Which is gross by the way.”

“No, I was drinking vodka and lemonade out of the bottle,” Draco corrected him, “Pansy just worries that I’ll have a repeat of my first Malfoy Christmas Ball when I was fourteen. That was not a pretty sight.”

“So you’ve been what? Pretending to be more drunk than you were? That sounds like something a fourteen year old would do.”

“Wasn’t pretending anything. I was just waiting for you to grow a pair. You aren’t very discreet when you stare.”

So Harry had already made a fool out of himself before he went over. Great.

“You are cute though.”

He was a foolish puddle of melted butter.

And Draco seemed to be so incredibly calm that it was unfair. When did daddy’s boy, slytherin prince, Draco Malfoy become so confident. So smooth. Harry swore that they were only just in first year and he had that ridiculous slicked back hairstyle. His voice whiny and squeaky.

“You aren’t drunk but merlin you are not sober.”

“Neither are you,” Draco countered, “Which is perfect because if this goes to shit you can blame whatever was in your cup.”

Even if that was the reason behind whatever they were going to do, Harry would hate to say it. To even think that after a year of pining everything went horribly and he blamed it on fire whiskey because it was the easy way out.

“I’m not going to do that,” he clarified.

“Ah, always the gentleman.”

Harry couldn’t help but roll his eyes. And with a sudden surge of confidence he pushed his lips against Draco’s.

It took a second for Draco to react. To fully understand, that the timid Harry from the other room had finally grabbed the reins of his Gryffindor roots. And Merlin was in love. He molded himself against Harry, the pair of them taking equal levels of control before Draco pushed Harry onto his back. Straddling Harry's waist, Draco deepened the kiss until they both had to pull apart in need of a breath.

They stared at each other for a moment. Lost in a haze of realisation and borderline euphoria. This was requited feelings without someone holding them back. 

They dove back in. Draco’s hand running through Harry’s hair and Harry’s hand on either side of Draco’s face. Neither was sure when they stopped and started. It just kept going. A continual bliss that they weren’t ready to end.

And when they finally stopped they just lay together. The silence was comforting rather than uncomfortable. Harry wished he had done it all sooner.

“So about that date?” Harry asked, breaking the quiet.

“Next time we’re both free.” Draco confirmed, taking Harry’s hand and rubbing his thumb over his knuckles.

Harry felt childish saying it but he said it anyway, needing the confirmation, “Promise?”

Draco lay his head against Harry's shoulder, their hands still together, “Promise.”

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written a full fic in over a month so apologies if there's any issues with it :)
> 
> Comments are definitely appreciated <3


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